Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Sonja and Suzie were in the office after the café closed the week before Christmas, going over plans for upcoming specials. “We need to do something to invigorate the flow of customers. I don’t know why they’re not coming in the way they were, but we can’t afford this hemorrhaging of patrons,” Suzie said.
“I think we should do another coupon, half off on your next visit,” Sonja was saying when a knock sounded on the door. “I thought everyone was gone?”
“Me, too,” Suzie replied.
Before either could get to the door, it burst open to reveal Yvonne holding a bunch of papers.
“What are you doing here, Yvonne?” Sonja asked. “You didn’t work today.”
“I found out why business is down!” Yvonne exclaimed. “Look at these reviews I found online. They’re terrible! People hate the café!”
“What are you talking about, Yvonne? Online reviews?” Suzie was puzzled. “Since when does anyone review us?”
“I’ve been wondering about the drop in business, and I’ve heard customers saying things that didn’t make sense to me, so I decided to look into it,” Yvonne said.
“What kinds of things?” Sonja asked.
“One couple was raving over their dessert and saying they were so glad they had come even though the reviews hadn’t been very good. I didn’t know what they meant, so I decided to do some research. I found two websites where people review local establishments, restaurants, stores—just about everything.”
“What did you find?” Suzie interrupted.
“Some people are saying awful things about the café online. This one says the dishes are dirty and the desserts are stale. Here.” She handed sheets to Suzie and Sonja. “I made copies.”
“Oh my god. This one says they got food poisoning from our potato salad. That can’t be right. We would have heard from lots of people if someone got sick from our food. That doesn’t just happen to one person.” Sonja was incensed.
“This one says they saw a roach in the ladies’ room,” Suzie read.
“A roach! Not in our establishment. We get top marks from every health department inspection.” Sonja read more. “These are nonsense. Who waits to complain about dirty dishes online instead of when they’re here? And I don’t believe for a second that anyone could have seen a rat in our kitchen.”
“You’re right. These don’t make sense. So, what’s going on?” Suzie asked.
“I don’t know, but we know someone who can probably help us find out,” Sonja replied.
“Who?” Suzie and Yvonne spoke together.
“Laura, of course,” Sonja answered.
“What does my sister have to do with restaurant reviews?” Suzie asked.
“It’s not the reviews. It’s the source. They’re all from websites,” Sonja said.
“Of course, how could I overlook that?” Suzie slapped her forehead.
“What are you talking about?” Yvonne asked.
“Sorry, dear,” Suzie answered. “My sister, Laura, is a computer wizard. If there’s something fishy about the reviews, she’ll find it for us.”
“None of the reviews say anything about fish.” Yvonne looked puzzled.
Sonja smiled. Yvonne’s English was good but sometimes she struggled with idiomatic expressions. “Fishy means there’s something odd or underhanded about the reviews,” she explained to her Dutch waitress. “Laura will help us find out what’s going on.”
Suzie pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Laura’s number. They chatted briefly then Suzie explained the problem. “I’m going to put you on speaker.”
“Hi. If you can email me the links to the reviews, I can start digging. Do you suspect these reviews are connected?”
“It’s a possibility,” Sonja said. “Derek’s ex-girlfriend is trying to get him back. She stalked him in St. Louis. It’s why he came here.”
“Do you know if she had IT experience?” Laura asked.
“No idea, but I’ll ask Derek and let you know if she does,” Sonja responded.
“That would be great. As it happens, I’m ahead of schedule at work, so I can dig into this as soon as you send me the email,” Laura said.
“Thanks, sis. We’ll have it to you shortly.”
“Great, Suuz. I’ll check my email and get back to you as soon as I have anything. Tell the kids we’ll see them this weekend. Bye.” Laura ended the call.
Sonja had already pulled up her email program and was typing the website info in as they spoke. “Done,” she said only seconds after Suzie and Laura had disconnected. “I think that’s all we can do on that front today.”
“Now, we wait.” Suzie gathered her things together. “I have to do my waiting at school. Abby is coming back from an away game, and I need to pick her up shortly.”
“I need to get over to Tante Wilma’s shop. I promised to do some deliveries for her this afternoon,” Yvonne said.
“Yes, you shouldn’t keep your aunt waiting. Be sure to lock up on your way out,” Sonja said.
She tried to get back to her work, but the information about the bad reviews had disturbed her, and she was unable to concentrate. She went to the kitchen to get herself a cup of coffee and see what kind of leftovers she could take home that night. The chef had left a note on a to-go container of that day’s lasagna that said, “for Sonja.” She chuckled that the woman knew her so well. It would be great for her supper that night. She found a couple of leftover brownies in the bakery case. She didn’t know how they had been missed during closing, but they would make a wonderful dessert. She gathered her booty and took it back to the office to finish her paperwork.